Band 9: The bar chart shows the literacy rate (% of people who can read and write) by region and gender in 2011. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The bar chart provides data on literacy rates, measured by the percentage of people who can read and write, across different world regions in 2011, with a comparison between males and females.

Overall, literacy levels were highest in Central Asia and Central/Eastern Europe, both reaching nearly 100% for both genders, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the lowest figures. In most regions, men had higher literacy rates than women, though the gap varied in size.

Central Asia and Central/Eastern Europe showed almost no gender difference, with both men and women having equally high literacy rates. Similarly, East Asia/Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean also reported high percentages, close to 95-100%, with only a slight advantage for males. In contrast, Arab States, South and West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa exhibited more noticeable gender disparities. In these regions, male literacy was significantly higher than female literacy, with the widest gap observed in South and West Asia, where around 80% of men were literate compared to about 60% of women.